At 2:13 in the morning, I returned to Boston Mercy Medic

Sixteen board members sat around the forty-foot boat-shaped mahogany table, their faces grim as they reviewed the emergency packets Marcus had placed before them. At the head of the table sat Marcus, exuding an aura of solemn, tragic authority.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Marcus began, standing up and buttoning his jacket. "It is with a heavy heart that I convene this emergency session. As you know, my brother Nathan has been under immense personal strain due to his daughter’s tragic, ongoing illness. Last night... an incident occurred at Boston Mercy Medical Center."

A collective murmur drifted through the room.

"Nathan is currently unfit to exercise his duties as CEO," Marcus continued, lifting a fountain pen. "In order to stabilize our market valuation before the opening bell, I am asking the board to execute Emergency Bylaw Section 9, transferring executive authority and Nathan's voting shares to me until—"

The heavy frosted-glass doors of the boardroom swung open with a deafening bang.

I walked in.

Behind me walked Detective Mercer, two uniformed State Troopers, and Dr. Arthur Vance from Boston Mercy.

Marcus’s pen froze mid-air. "Nathan? What is the meaning of this? This is a closed board meeting—"

"Sit down, Marcus," I said. My voice wasn't raised, but it carried a weight that froze every board member in their leather chairs.

I walked to the head of the table, set my briefcase down, and opened it. I didn't pull out corporate documents. I pulled out a stack of medical records, bank statements, and a large, high-definition tablet.

"Members of the board," I said, looking around the room. "Before you vote to transfer my company to my brother, there are a few financial line items you need to review."

I tapped the tablet screen, casting the display onto the giant four-K monitors mounted on the boardroom wall.

"This is the internal audit log from Vance Bio-Tech, our subsidiary research division in Cambridge," I explained, pointing to a series of highlighted ledger entries. "Over the last eighteen months, two hundred and fifty thousand dollars was funneled from the research budget into a shell company called Apex Medical Supplies in Delaware."

Marcus’s face began to lose its color. "That’s... that’s standard equipment procurement—"

"Apex Medical Supplies doesn't manufacture equipment," Dr. Vance stepped forward, his voice cold and authoritative. "Apex is a dark-web distribution front for pharmaceutical-grade toxins, including unlisted shipments of Succinylcholine Chloride, Potassium Chloride, and synthetic thyroid hormones."

A sharp gasp echoed from the female board members near the front.

"And who signed the procurement authorizations for Apex Medical?" I asked, tapping the screen again.

A signature appeared in sharp, digital ink on the giant monitor: Marcus Vance, CFO.

"He wasn't just helping Victoria," I told the silent, terrified board. "Marcus was sourcing the toxins from our own corporate supply chain. He was using company funds to buy the poison that was being injected into my eight-year-old daughter's IV line!"

Marcus stumbled backward, his chair rolling away and slamming into the glass wall. "It’s a lie! He’s framing me! Victoria acted alone! She’s a lunatic!"

"Victoria is currently in Interrogation Room B at Harrison Avenue," Detective Mercer announced, stepping into the center of the room. "The moment we showed her the wire transfer logs proving Marcus had stopped her monthly retainer three weeks ago, she turned state's evidence. She handed us three years of encrypted text messages detailing every step of the plan."

Mercer pulled out a set of steel handcuffs, the metallic click-click echoing sharply in the silent room.

"Marcus Vance, you are under arrest for attempted murder, conspiracy to commit murder, corporate embezzlement, and grand larceny," Mercer declared.

The two State Troopers moved in, grabbing Marcus’s arms and forcing them behind his back.

"Nathan! Please!" Marcus screamed, his polished persona shattering into pathetic, desperate shrieks as he was forced to his knees on the carpet. "I’m your brother! I did it for the family! You were going to ruin the company with your grief! You were letting everything fall apart!"